Groups

Advanced multilayer optics (AMO)

volodymyr pervak — Development of novel multilayer optics. Ever since their invitation more than two decades ago, dispersive dielectric multilayer mirrors (DMs), have played a pivotal role in the progress of ultrafast science. Their ability to manipulate phase and spectral amplitude in broad spectral ranges has enabled synthesis of intense few-cycle optical pulses, triggering remarkable advances in nonlinear optics, high-field physics and attosecond science.

Broadband infrared diagnostics (BIRD)

mihaela zigman — Exploring novel routes to early cancer detection with femto- and attosecond metrologies. Cancer occurs when a single living cell acquires the capacity to reproduce without control in the human body, grows aggressively and invades other tissues. Increasing the fidelity of early cancer detection and establishing a better quantitative understanding of initial changes that drive tumorgrowth at a molecular level are paramount to advance current medical anti-cancer strategies.

Field-resolved Raman microspectroscopy (FRS)

hanieh fattahi — Development of novel techniques for in vivo imaging of dynamic systems. Real-time, in vivo imaging of biological samples enables better understanding of how cellular molecular machinery works and functions within living systems, such as cells, organs and even whole living organisms. Heretofore-imaging methods were predominantly limited to approaches that require labeling of the living systems, which often distorts their natural molecular mechanism of action.

High-repetition-rate femtosecond sources (HFS)

oleg pronin — Novel femtosecond high power oscillators for mid infrared radiation generation. Next generation oscillator technology relies on Yb doped thin-disk technology as one of its main building blocks. The unique combination of high average power, high repetition rate and high peak power is possible, thanks to this technology.

Free-electron laser (FEL)

prof. florian grüner — For our experiments, we use electrons produced by a laser-wakefield accelerator. This acceleration technique can provide extremely high peak currents (10-100 kA) leading to space-charge effects like buildup of energy variations and bunch expansion. These effects can significantly affect the FEL performance.

Laser ion acceleration (LION)

prof. jörg schreiber — The claim that laser-driven ion beams bare high potential for applications, eventually even for a cost-effective therapy, is commonly based on the fact that the field structures in which the ions are accelerated have considerably smaller dimensions as compared to conventional accelerators. This may promise more compact and therefore less expensive accelerators in the future. But the microscopic dimensions over which electrons and ions are rapidly accelerated by the gigantic fields that are set up by the laser offer even more.